


meanwhile, a man was falling from space

by crownedcarl



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Mental Health Issues, Tenderness, Troubles (Haven), i promise it's soft, re: jennifer dealing with her trouble, this fic is like two thirds tenderness with a dash of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:06:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23952781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownedcarl/pseuds/crownedcarl
Summary: Jennifer loves Duke before she ever knows him.
Relationships: Duke Crocker/Jennifer Mason (Haven)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 23





	meanwhile, a man was falling from space

**Author's Note:**

> It's me, back at it again! If anyone is still here for In A Better Life You Led, I promise I'll get chapter 3 up eventually - hopefully. Anyway, here's the deal: the title is from Florence and The Machine and this idea has taken root in my brain and refused to let go. I've never written Jennifer before, much less this pairing, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on this little self-indulgent fic! I hope you enjoy. ❤
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](https://dickardgansey.tumblr.com/) for those interested.
> 
> Check out my [other Haven fics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownedcarl/pseuds/crownedcarl/works?fandom_id=9218791)!

Jennifer goes crazy.

No, that's not what people are saying. Her friends - the few of them left over from college - don't say it to her face, but she knows that's what all of them are thinking. Jennifer goes crazy.

She thinks she goes crazy, too, with her head filling with voices she can't seem to get rid of, no matter how she tries. She rationalizes it as stress, at first, but she doesn't believe herself when day four of no sleep comes around and Jennifer ends up sobbing on the kitchen floor, wishing it would stop while her roommate's hands go fluttering across her shoulders as Jennifer screams herself hoarse.

Jennifer Mason goes crazy. Shit happens.

The diagnosis lifts a weight off her shoulders that she's more than happy to be rid of, but it still doesn't sit right with her, because if Jennifer is late on her pills the voices creep back in and that's not supposed to be how it works, is it? It shouldn't take a near-miss of fifteen minutes for her head to get loud again, someone yelling about barns and Audrey Parker and -

It's funny, almost. The voice is her only constant, nowadays, a closer friend than the ones who tip-toe around Jennifer and her diagnosis like she could snap at any moment. She tries to remember if she was ever a creative kid, if maybe she made up imaginary friends. Who knows, maybe one has come back to call, but Jennifer knows she's never heard of Audrey Parker before. A Google search turns up nothing - or, it turns up everything, every one of the thousands of Audrey Parkers that exist in the world, some not even in the US and Jennifer sits at her desk, sighing, wondering if it's about time to give up and accept her life as it is.

The TV is loud. Jennifer pays it no mind. "Audrey Parker!" someone yells, and Jennifer's brain misfires.

* * *

Duke Crocker is a criminal.

Most likely.

Well, technically.

Alright - he's a criminal through and through. It doesn't help that he's charming, Jennifer tells herself, eyeing Duke as he steps into his pants, long legs disappearing beneath a loose fit. She turns away, uncomfortable with watching, even if Duke acts as if he doesn't mind. She has to keep an eye on him. He's the key. If Jennifer lets him slip away, then maybe she doesn't get her answers. Maybe she is just crazy Jennifer for the rest of her life, despite the medication she still takes religiously on the dot.

Duke towers over her and Jennifer doesn't feel afraid. "Now," he sighs, peering out into the hallway, "About that distraction-"

"I can do it," Jennifer tells him, feeling brave and reckless and not _crazy,_ for once, offering Duke a toothy smile when he raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Follow my lead."

"Woman after my own heart," Duke chuckles and despite the half-hearted attempt at humor, Jennifer smiles.

* * *

Haven, Maine is a quaint little town.

Besides the tornadoes and the people with guns and the way all of them are out for blood - Haven, Maine is a pretty quaint little town, when you look past all the craziness. "I don't like it here!" Jennifer yells above the wind and despite the way her heart is beating too fast for her to keep up, she doesn't feel panicked. Duke is crouched beside her, his body covering her body and Jennifer closes her eyes and feels calmer than she ever has before. It'll be alright, she thinks, because Duke hasn't lied to her, before. He won't let her down, now.

He sends her to his restaurant after everything dies down, but Jennifer looks at the way Nathan sways on his feet and says "Yeah, don't worry about me," and then asks "But is he alright?"

Probably not, considering that he was letting any and all comers pummel him for a price, but Jennifer doesn't know Nathan the way Duke does. She learned a lot about them on the drive, despite them hardly saying a word to each other that wasn't about the barn or Audrey Parker.

The way Duke hangs on Nathan's every word makes Jennifer feel flustered, like she's intruding, somehow, despite Duke personally escorting her all this way. Nathan is kind of awkward, beneath all the layers of self-loathing and depression, but at least he backs off of Jennifer when Duke snaps at him to focus. It's a relief. She's tired of feeling like a sideshow attraction, always being stared at and prodded.

Duke looks at her differently. He knows she can help, but he doesn't push. Duke asked her to come. Jennifer looks at Nathan and wonders if he'd have asked as nicely, had the choice been up to him, but Duke is the only person in the world who makes Jennifer feel _seen_ without an undercurrent of discomfort to it.

Sighing, Duke places an arm around Jennifer's shoulders. She wonders if he's even aware of how touchy-feely he is. If he doesn't, she wonders if it means something. "Yeah," Duke tells her, "I got Nathan. I've been doing it for years."

"Good luck," Jennifer offers, reluctantly turning away, "I'll see you soon?"

Duke nods, a smile curving his mouth. "You bet."

* * *

Jennifer loves Duke before she ever knows him.

He makes her feel comfortable. Jennifer doesn't think around him.

Things happen. She throws herself into a handstand knowing that she might fail - that she most likely will - and it doesn't scare her one bit, because Duke is right there and he catches Jennifer before she goes sprawling on the deck. It's kind of amazing, how easily he folds his arms around her and holds her upside down. Jennifer thinks about the iconic Spiderman kiss, suddenly, cheeks going dark.

She'll blame it on all the blood rushing to her head.

It's not that she falls for Duke in increments. He's not what Jennifer dreamed of, growing up, but he's kind and he's funny and he knows how to cook and at the end of the day, he sees Jennifer. He believes in her. Duke's the first person who ever told her she wasn't crazy and that even if she was, that wasn't something to be ashamed of.

Not in so many words, but Jennifer has gotten good at reading his expressions. Duke is really good to her.

He kisses really well, too. That's a perk Jennifer wasn't sure she'd get, but Duke kisses her with a careful hand on her jaw and Jennifer laughs against his mouth, whispering "We barely know each other," when Duke's hand settles on the small of her back.

Duke pulls back, half-smiling. "I know enough," he tells her, brushing her hair back behind her ear, "I know I like you. I know you're a spitfire and one hell of a woman-"

"After your own heart?" Jennifer murmurs, smiling wide when Duke picks her up, easy as anything, and still cocks his head in question before depositing her on the bed when Jennifer nods her consent. "That's what you said."

"Exactly," Duke grins, settling between her knees, "I know a good thing when I see one."

Duke kisses the inside of her thigh and Jennifer falls in love.

* * *

Duke Crocker fell out of nowhere, right into an aquarium. He jokes "At least it wasn't the shark tank," while he strokes Jennifer's hair, trailing long fingers up her spine.

Jennifer thought she was crazy for so long, it's hard to believe that she's _not_. But Duke fell practically out of the sky. There are people in Haven that can do surreal things and Jennifer is not crazy.

She's in Duke's arms, kissing his chest, pecking the tattoos on his arms when she takes a detour. "Good thing it wasn't," she tells him, glancing up, momentarily jealous of Duke's stupidly long lashes, "I was supposed to meet you."

"Yeah?" Duke hums, closing his eyes and letting Jennifer have free reign of his body. It's an intimate offer. She takes full advantage, laying her palms on his chest. "I think you're right."

Nodding, Jennifer squirms her way up Duke's body, looking down at his serene face, stroking his cheek. "I am absolutely right," Jennifer laughs, "This doesn't _happen._ People don't get this lucky unless it's meant to be."

Duke cracks his eyes back open. His lower lip is bitten red. "You're special," he says, shaking his head when Jennifer's smile falters, "To me. I'm glad you're here, for what it's worth."

She kisses his mouth, then his neck. Jennifer drapes herself across Duke's body, sighing "I'm glad I'm here, too," as Duke's arms go around her waist, holding her tight, their bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces.


End file.
